The Diplodocus

La Da Dee, La Dee Da January 21, 2006

So now I’m homeless. It’s pretty grand when I forget about the whole “All of my substantial possessions are off on a plane without me” thing. I’ve got means, a car, two full suitcases, and the open invitation to impose on my close friends for as long as necessary — hopefully only a few weeks at the most.

The oddest part of this situation, from a psychological perspective, is the fact that I don’t have a private haven right now. Sure, the normal public havens are around, but there’s no private, personal space for me to retreat to. This isn’t so bad right now, but I imagine it will be bad if this gets drawn out any longer.

Anyway…

I was driving down 295 to work Thursday when I spotted something I’ve never seen on the road before: a SmartCar.

I had no idea that these cool little vehicles were allowed on US highways and byways. At first I thought it was maybe a diplomats car, but the plates were Virginia. Legal or not, I can’t fathom SmartCars being safe at any speeds above, say 25 mph. Seeing them on the perpetually jammed roads of Paris is one thing; on 295 towards Richmond, totally another. At least I didn’t get passed. That would have been rather emasculating.

Also observed, the fact that the Continental in Rosslyn pours truly disgusting pints of Guinness:

Consider yourself warned.

Finally, my top six choices for the next tour, in no particular order: EconOff Bratislava, AGSO Chisnau, GSO Moscow, PolOff Tashkent, EconOff Zagreb. I submit my bids, most likely, next week.